Many people in Seattle call this hazmat cleaning: it covers sewage backups, used needles and other biohazard waste. A sewage backup, a failed septic system, used needles or heavy rodent droppings in a Seattle home, rental or business are cleaned up by a private biohazard or restoration company that the owner, landlord or property manager hires directly. The first step is to keep people and pets out of the area and leave the material where it is. Biohazard Network can connect you with an independent local company; we do not do the cleanup ourselves.
Finding this in your basement, or in a unit you manage, is stressful. A biohazard is any material that can carry germs able to make people sick, and sewage, sharps and rodent droppings all qualify. This page explains what the work involves and how the waste must leave a property in King County.
What this service covers
This page covers contamination that is not tied to a death or a crime:
- Sewage backups from a drain or sewer line, and septic system failures.
- Sharps, meaning used needles, syringes, lancets and blades, found in a rental, vacant building or business.
- Rodent droppings and nests in attics, crawl spaces or stored belongings.
- Contaminated material left in a vacant property or after a tenant moves out.
Household cleaning is not enough. Sewage soaks into porous materials, meaning things like drywall, carpet pad, insulation and bare wood that absorb liquid and cannot simply be wiped clean. Mopping can carry germs into clean areas, and sweeping can lift contaminated dust into the air.
In that case, start with unattended death cleanup in Seattle.
What to leave alone
You do not need to start cleaning. Until the company arrives:
- Keep children, pets and anyone who is ill away from the area.
- Do not pick up needles with bare hands. Public Health – Seattle & King County1 publishes guidance titled How to handle used or found sharps.
- Do not vacuum or sweep rodent droppings. The Washington State Department of Health2 (DOH) says infected deer mice can shed a virus called hantavirus in their urine, saliva and droppings, and that people can be exposed by breathing dust stirred up during cleaning. DOH also says a dust mask does not protect against viruses and that all droppings should be handled as if infectious.
- Do not throw away damaged belongings yet. The Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) tells renters the insurer may want to inspect them.
What the company you hire should do
Sewage and used sharps can carry bloodborne pathogens, meaning germs carried in blood and some body fluids that can cause disease. Remediation, the full process of removing contamination and making a space safe again, should include:
- Protective equipment. The crew should wear gloves, eye protection and other gear suited to the job.
- Containment. This means sealing off the work area, for example with plastic sheeting, so contamination does not spread to clean rooms.
- Removal. Porous materials soaked by sewage are cut out and bagged, not cleaned in place.
- Disinfection. This means applying a product that kills germs on the hard surfaces that remain.
- Odor work. Once the source is gone, any remaining odor can be treated; see odor remediation.
- Records. Ask for photos, a written scope of work and a list of what was removed for your insurer.
Before you hire, ask how the company’s workers follow OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard3, 29 CFR 1910.1030, and the ANSI/IICRC S540 Standard for Trauma and Crime Scene Cleanup, a standard from the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC), a non-profit for the inspection, cleaning and restoration industries. Then look the business up yourself in the Department of Labor & Industries4 (L&I) tool called Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business4, and read what these checks mean.
How the process works
Ask the company to walk you through each stage before work starts: a site visit and written plan; containment and removal; cleaning, disinfection and drying; and disposal, followed by a final walk-through and copies of the records. Tell the company whether the property uses a sewer line or a septic system.
Where the waste goes
Biomedical waste is the legal term for certain waste types that Washington defines in RCW 70A.228.010; the definition is limited to the types listed there, including sharps waste such as hypodermic needles, syringes and lancets, and materials containing free-flowing blood. Ask the company which permitted hauler takes its sharps and other biomedical waste, and ask for a disposal record.
Other waste hauled from the property has its own rule. The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) says companies must obtain a certificate of public convenience and necessity before transporting solid waste for compensation. A company that collects and transports biomedical waste must also keep an operating plan that holds it separate from other solid waste until treatment or disposal.
When restoration and mold work follow
Sewage cleanup overlaps with water damage restoration, which means drying and repairing a building after water gets in, and restoration can follow once the biohazard is removed. This guide to biohazard cleanup and restoration explains how they fit together. DOH5’s Mold page says to hire a cleaning professional if a moldy area has been contaminated by sewage, and Public Health – Seattle & King County1 says on its Mold page that it does not conduct mold assessments.
Seattle and King County details
Seattle is an incorporated city, so the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI) is the city office to know. Its Code Compliance section takes reports of code violations, and SDCI issues land use, construction, and trade permits and conducts housing-related inspections.
Public Health – Seattle & King County1, main phone 206-296-4600, lists programs that fit this work, including Sewage releases in Seattle and King County, the On-site Sewage/Septic System Program, Rodent complaints, and Biomedical waste guidance for businesses that generate it.
These steps are the same for a business near Pike Place Market, Seattle’s original farmers market, or a house near Discovery Park, Seattle’s largest park. For a property on Vashon Island, the Fauntleroy ferry terminal links ferry riders with West Seattle, so ask any company how it will reach the job.
A former drug lab is a separate job, because Washington requires workers and contractors who decontaminate clandestine drug labs to be certified through DOH’s Drug Lab Cleanup Program.
Who to call first
In an emergency, call 911.These official offices may be part of the first steps. They are government pages, not ours.
- King County Medical Examiner (opens in a new tab)After a sudden or unexpected death, cleanup waits until this office is done.
- Public Health – Seattle & King County (opens in a new tab)For local health questions, such as a home that was used as a drug lab.
- Washington Crime Victims Compensation Program (L&I) (opens in a new tab)If a crime happened, it may help with some costs, such as funeral expenses. It doesn't pay for cleanup.
- Verify a contractor (L&I lookup) (opens in a new tab)Look up whether a company is a registered contractor before work starts.
- Washington State Department of Health (opens in a new tab)State health rules, such as for drug lab cleanup and hantavirus.